There were several of these that ran around near where I grew up. We called them the "Cheesebox cars" because they looked just the right shape so slide in a nice wedge of one's favorite cheese. I always thought they were cool.

"From what I know, a battery is coming within five to eight years," that will boost the range of small EVs to 300 kilometres and of expensive beasts like Tesla's Model S to 800.

"When I see a car that can do 300 kilometres and cost $20,000 or less - everything the average guy wants to do," the gasoline-production industry will get a strong message, he says.

The problem isn't range, the problem is length and availability of recharging. No one wants to run out of juice and either A) be stranded or B) wait 3-8 hours while the battery charges.

When an EV can replace its charge in a few minutes, whether it be a super faster charging battery, some wort of quick-swap battery exchange, or some other novel method, that's when you'll see a real competitor, imo.

Emposter:"From what I know, a battery is coming within five to eight years," that will boost the range of small EVs to 300 kilometres and of expensive beasts like Tesla's Model S to 800.

"When I see a car that can do 300 kilometres and cost $20,000 or less - everything the average guy wants to do," the gasoline-production industry will get a strong message, he says.

The problem isn't range, the problem is length and availability of recharging. No one wants to run out of juice and either A) be stranded or B) wait 3-8 hours while the battery charges.

When an EV can replace its charge in a few minutes, whether it be a super faster charging battery, some wort of quick-swap battery exchange, or some other novel method, that's when you'll see a real competitor, imo.

Eh...DC quickchargers can charge to 80 percent in 20 minutes. That's a far cry from "3 to 8 hours". And if you are still stranded after getting an extra 70 miles of range, then you probably have bigger problems.

CSB: I used to own a motorcycle dealership (really) and for about two years 2006-2008 we sold these:

$12,500 got you a three wheel truck that would do 45mph and had a range of 20-25 miles, and plugged into any regular outlet. Because they had three wheels they were a "motorcycle" so they didn't have to meet auto safety standards.

Biggest problem was, they were an electric conversion of some kind of Chinese utility vehicle. Thin sheet metal, total crap plastic parts, and built for a 120lb driver. But they ran non stop.

Our biggest sales were to security companies patrolling parking lots and college campuses.

Hollie Maea:Emposter: "From what I know, a battery is coming within five to eight years," that will boost the range of small EVs to 300 kilometres and of expensive beasts like Tesla's Model S to 800.

"When I see a car that can do 300 kilometres and cost $20,000 or less - everything the average guy wants to do," the gasoline-production industry will get a strong message, he says.

The problem isn't range, the problem is length and availability of recharging. No one wants to run out of juice and either A) be stranded or B) wait 3-8 hours while the battery charges.

When an EV can replace its charge in a few minutes, whether it be a super faster charging battery, some wort of quick-swap battery exchange, or some other novel method, that's when you'll see a real competitor, imo.

Eh...DC quickchargers can charge to 80 percent in 20 minutes. That's a far cry from "3 to 8 hours". And if you are still stranded after getting an extra 70 miles of range, then you probably have bigger problems.

Most people are not willing to wait 20 minutes at a gas station when they're used to waiting 2, and a 20 minute wait would lead to massive filling congestion, which is why I said a few, not a few dozen. Moreover, most stations don't have quick chargers.

And people don't get stranded when everything is planned,and things work out. People theorize the "what ifs," and gas performs better in such situations. Forget to charge before you need to go to work? In a gas car, you just go fill up at a nearby station. In an EV, you may just be screwed. Family emergency comes up two states away and your spouse has the gas car on a business trip? Ut oh. Forget to charge up before going to work, and realize after you get there that your battery is almost empty and the parking garage doesn't have plugs?

Etc. There's a reason hybrids caught on and EVs haven't yet. Admittedly, there are actually many reasons, all the way up to big oil corporate espionage, but one of the big ones is that, if you have an "oh shiat" moment, a gas car can just go fill up at any of the 159,000 gas stations, while an EV is limited to one of the only 4466 EV charging stations, of which only 56 have quick chargers, and most of which are on the coast.

So, again, the issue is not range, because with proper infrastructure any car's range is infinite. It's the existence of that infrastructure. When EV charging approaches gas filling in ease, convenience, and piece of mind, I think that will be the turning point. I hope that point comes by 2015 or so, which is when Tesla is set to release its project Bluestar $30,000 EV, but that time certainly isn't here yet, and sadly 2015 isn't looking very likely.

Hollie Maea:Emposter: "From what I know, a battery is coming within five to eight years," that will boost the range of small EVs to 300 kilometres and of expensive beasts like Tesla's Model S to 800.

"When I see a car that can do 300 kilometres and cost $20,000 or less - everything the average guy wants to do," the gasoline-production industry will get a strong message, he says.

The problem isn't range, the problem is length and availability of recharging. No one wants to run out of juice and either A) be stranded or B) wait 3-8 hours while the battery charges.

When an EV can replace its charge in a few minutes, whether it be a super faster charging battery, some wort of quick-swap battery exchange, or some other novel method, that's when you'll see a real competitor, imo.

Eh...DC quickchargers can charge to 80 percent in 20 minutes. That's a far cry from "3 to 8 hours". And if you are still stranded after getting an extra 70 miles of range, then you probably have bigger problems.

maybee, yes, but whatever battery you use, the quicker you load them, the shorter the lifetime.This will always hold true, and think of what kind of power a quickcharge for a long-range powerful car amounts to... never gona happen before we have Star-Trek-tech.On the other hand, standardized batteries you just swap and don't own but just rent could work with yesterday-tech.But it would need the governement to set standarts for batterys and that is OMG SOCIALISM

On-Off:Hollie Maea: Emposter: "From what I know, a battery is coming within five to eight years," that will boost the range of small EVs to 300 kilometres and of expensive beasts like Tesla's Model S to 800.

"When I see a car that can do 300 kilometres and cost $20,000 or less - everything the average guy wants to do," the gasoline-production industry will get a strong message, he says.

The problem isn't range, the problem is length and availability of recharging. No one wants to run out of juice and either A) be stranded or B) wait 3-8 hours while the battery charges.

When an EV can replace its charge in a few minutes, whether it be a super faster charging battery, some wort of quick-swap battery exchange, or some other novel method, that's when you'll see a real competitor, imo.

Eh...DC quickchargers can charge to 80 percent in 20 minutes. That's a far cry from "3 to 8 hours". And if you are still stranded after getting an extra 70 miles of range, then you probably have bigger problems.

maybee, yes, but whatever battery you use, the quicker you load them, the shorter the lifetime.This will always hold true, and think of what kind of power a quickcharge for a long-range powerful car amounts to... never gona happen before we have Star-Trek-tech.On the other hand, standardized batteries you just swap and don't own but just rent could work with yesterday-tech.But it would need the governement to set standarts for batterys and that is OMG SOCIALISM

Ever get really sick and have a rough time of it, then when you get better you for get how bad it was. I forget how bad post pollution control, big bumper 70's were and then like a relapse something reminds me.

I had a 77 dodge Aspen wagon with a 318 and the optional 4 speed manual transmission. I inherent the car I did not spend money for it. Calling it a POS would be insulting to S

I would love an electric car. but they cost too much(would never make it up in gas savings). and I have to park on the street. how the fark am I supposed to charge it overnight? Some of us don't live in the burbs with big fat garages.

The real change that needs to happen is in city planing. Suburbs are viable because of cheap gas. that will have to end.